vv  ar 


THE  MEANING  OF  WAR 

AND 

THE  BASIS  FOR 


PERMANENT 

PEACE 


BY 

JAMES  W.  JOHNSON 


PROPOSITION:  “Come  now  let  us  reason  together, 
saith  the  Lord.  ” 

CONCLUSION:  “ The  wages  of  sin  is  death  but  the 
gift  of  God  is  eternal  life.  ” 


1917 

Good  Government  Commission 
The  New  York  Federation  of  Churches 
Fifth  Avenue  Building 
New  York 


WRITER’S  PREFACE 


The  greatest  war  the  world  has  ever  seen 
must  have  some  deep  meaning.  Many  writer" 
have  already  drawn  various  conclusions.  To 
some  the  evident  lesson  is  national  prepared- 
ness. To  others  the  failure  of  preparedness 
is  no  less  clear.  Again  others  perhaps  would 
find  in  the  commercial  relations  existing  be- 
tween nations,  and  the  jealousies  resulting 
therefrom,  the  lesson  of  absolute  free  trade 
and  a more  generous  interpretation  of  the 
value  of  a day’s  labor.  And  still  again,  others 
will  see  the  clear  need  of  an  international 
police  system  which  would  deal  with  a quar- 
relsome nation  as  the  guardians  of  the  peace 
deal  with  a quarrelsome  individual. 

But  whatever  the  inference  drawn,  one  fact 
will  be  admitted  by  all,  viz.:  that  if  the  cause 
of  the  war  can  be  found,  the  first  step  toward 
permanent  peace  has  been  taken.  If  the  phy- 
sician understands  the  cause  of  the  disease, 
there  is  reason  to  believe  that  his  remedy  may 
be  effective.  But  can  any  cause  be  found, 
broad  enough  and  deep  enough,  to  explain  such 
a world  crisis?  The  simple  statements  follow- 
ing, written  at  different  times  in  the  years 
1915-1916,  are  an  attempt  to  answer  this  ques- 
tion and  to  suggest  the  only  method  that  will 
lead  to  an  enduring  peace. 

The  solution  of  the  problem  can  be  found 
in  the  application  of  a principle  stated  many 
centuries  ago;  a principle  familiar  to  every 
student  of  human  nature;  a principle  proved 
to  be  true  by  every  test  to  which  it  has  been 
subjected. 

J.  W.  J. 

New  York,  September,  1917. 


A BIT  OF  ANCIENT  HISTORY 


^ EVERAL  thousand  years  ago  a cer- 
tain tribe  of  people  settled  in  a pleas- 
ant and  fertile  country.  The  surrounding 
tribes  were  not  very  pleasant  neighbors, 
and  not  very  well  disposed  toward  the 
newcomers.  This  was  quite  to  be  expect- 
ed since  the  newcomers  had  driven  them 
out,  slain  many  of  them,  and  were  now 
occupying  cities  and  farms  to  which  they 
had  no  apparent  title  other  than  the  old 
one  of  might.  The  surrounding  tribes 
had  strange  customs,  many  of  them  quite 
pleasant  in  a way,  but  not  very  edifying. 
In  fact,  their  customs  were  decidedly  bad, 
as  bad  as  whiskey  and  beer  have  been 
found  to  be  when  used  too  freely.  Now 
the  king  of  the  victorious  tribe  knew  very 
well  that  hi9  people  could  not  thrive  if 
they  adopted  these  quite  delightful  but 
very  injurious  customs,  so  he  made  a 
strict  decree  that  his  people  must  have 
nothing  to  do  with  such  practices. 


3 


4 


A Bit  of  Ancient  History 


The  word  of  the  king  was  law,  and  for 
a time  was  obeyed  and  all  went  well.  But 
soon  the  influence  of  their  neighbors  be- 
gan to  be  seen,  and  gradually  the  prohib- 
ited customs  began  to  be  practiced  until 
they  became  quite  common.  The  king 
was  very  angry  and  concluded  that  the 
people  should  be  treated  as  we  sometimes 
find  it  best  to  treat  a very  bad  and  self- 
willed  boy.  They  received  a good,  sound 
thrashing,  so  severe  that  in  many  cases 
death  resulted.  The  punishment  was  in- 
flicted by  the  very  tribes  who  had  been 
ousted  from  their  possessions.  The  king 
accomplished  this  by  extending  to  them 
for  a time  his  generalship,  which  was  al- 
ways invincible.  The  severe  lesson  had 
a salutary  effect  for  quite  a while.  The 
people  became  well  behaved  and  were 
very  prosperous. 


THE  REASON  FOR  WAR 


JS  this  to  be  the  last  War?  The  ques- 
tion is  often  asked  and  it  receives  many 
answers.  Our  peace-loving  friends  would 
have  us  believe  that  if  we  would  lay  aside 
our  army  and  navy  the  other  nations,  ad- 
miring our  fine  example  of  reliance  on 
the  principles  of  righteousness,  would  do 
likewise,  and  so  there  could  be  no  future 
war  because  there  would  be  nothing  to 
fight  with.  Furthermore,  the  doing  away 
with  the  implements  of  war  would  show 
such  a splendid  trust  in  the  amity  and 
good  will  of  other  nations  that  a like  feel- 
ing of  peace  and  good  will  to  all  mankind 
would  be  aroused  in  them,  and  therefore 
they  would,  in  consequence,  be  ashamed 
of  their  former  warlike  propensities  and 
would,  with  glad  hearts  and  loud  ac- 
claim, herald  the  dawn  of  international 
good  will,  the  long-looked-for  and  earn- 
estly-prayed-for  realization  of  the  dream 
of  all  sincere  admirers  of  the  Prince  of 


5 


6 


The  Reason  for  War 


Peace.  What  a beautiful  faith  in  the  in- 
herent nobility  of  mankind  shines  forth 
in  the  belief  of  our  pacifist  friends! 

Then,  again,  the  men  of  war — the  men 
of  Belial,  they  might  be  termed  by  the 
pacifists — hold  just  the  opposite  view  and 
for  just  the  opposite  reason.  They  say 
that  since  war  has  always  existed  in  the 
world,  due  to  the  quite  reasonable  ambi- 
tion to  make  one’s  own  national  ideals 
paramount,  or  because  of  mankind’s  nat- 
ural greed  and  the  baser  motives  common 
to  all,  therefore  war  will  always  continue, 
at  least  for  many  generations  to  come, 
until  the  ideals  of  the  world  have  been 
elevated  far  above  the  present  standard. 

Still  others  see  in  war  splendid  results. 
They  hold  that  it  stimulates,  purifies  and 
ennobles  by  reason  of  its  terrible  suffer- 
ings, sacrifices  and  the  giving  up  of  all 
for  worthy  aims.  They  would  recall  the 
splendid  results  of  our  wTar  for  independ- 
ence and  our  more  terrible  war  for  the 
preservation  of  the  integrity  of  our  na- 
tion when  the  blue  and  gray  forgot  their 
brotherhood  in  their  loyalty  to  their 
idealism. 


The  Reason  for  IVar  7 

Many  other  answers  can  be  found  to 
speak  the  uncertainty  of  the  world  as  to 
whether  or  no  this  most  terrible  of  ail 
wars  our  world  has  seen  is  to  be  the  last 
great  conflict  of  the  nations. 

Perhaps  if  we  should  consider  some  of 
the  reasons  given  for  the  present  war  we 
might  be  better  able  to  give  a satisfac- 
tory answer. 

Among  the  reasons  presented  are: 

1.  German  imperialism  and  German 
ambition,  Germany’s  will  to  win  her  place 
in  the  sun  and  Germany’s  ruthlessness  in 
so  doing,  as  witnessed  by  the  ruin  of  Bel- 
gium. It  is  said  that  if  Germany  should 
achieve  her  aims  and  win  the  place  in  the 
sun  she  so  ardently  desires,  other  nations 
would  soon  find  themselves  eclipsed,  and 
more  than  that,  finally  subject  to  the 
wonderful  energy  and  tremendous  force 
of  the  Teuton  giant.  So  that  the  safety 
of  the  world  demands  an  impediment 
placed  in  the  way  of  such  a contingency. 
This  opinion  of  the  nations  seems  justi- 
fied by  the  facts  of  the  war  thus  far  made 
evident.  And  yet  I feel  sure  we  have  not 
stated  the  ultimate  reason  for  the  war. 


8 


The  Reason  for  War 


2.  Again,  many  find  in  England’s  jeal- 
ousy and  alarm  at  Germany’s  marvellous 
commercial  expansion  the  real  reason  for 
the  war.  For  many  years  now  England 
has  been  mistress  of  the  sea.  Her  proud 
title  is  justified  by  the  fact  that  the  sun 
never  sets  on  her  wide  empire;  that  the 
numerous  colonies  need  the  protection  of 
the  mighty  fleet,  and  more  than  all  that, 
where  English  policy  is  dominant  there 
the  races  of  mankind  are  benefited  by 
those  ideals  of  justice  and  thrift  which 
have  been  approved  as  sound  by  the 
greatest  Teacher  the  world  has  ever  seen, 
the  Galilean. 

It  is  claimed  that  Germany’s  ideals  are 
in  direct  conflict  with  those  of  England 
and  that  the  world  approves  our  English 
cousins  in  taking  up  the  gage  thrown 
down  by  Germany  when  she  trampled 
into  dust  and  blood  her  Belgian  neigh- 
bors, thereby  clearly  outraging  that  sense 
of  justice  and  mercy  common  to  mankind. 
So  that  here,  indeed,  is  found  a reason 
adequate  for  the  war.  However  this  may 
be,  I will  beg  to  differ  from  this  most 
reasonable  conclusion  and  state  most 


The  Reason  for  War 


9 


emphatically  that  we  have  not  yet  found 
the  reason  for  the  war. 

3.  Another  theory  is  the  deep-seated 
revenge  of  France.  About  forty  years  ago 
the  heart  of  France  was  sorely  wounded 
by  the  loss  of  her  two  beautiful  daugh- 
ters, Alsace  and  Lorraine.  Germany  was 
the  brutal  ravisher.  Like  a tiger  stung 
to  madness  by  the  cruel  loss,  France  has 
waited  for  the  opportunity  to  spring  at 
the  throat  of  her  neighbor ; and  now  at 
last  the  time  has  come  and  all  her  chil- 
dren are  heart  and  soul  fired  with  a spirit 
of  revenge  that  will  be  satisfied  by  noth- 
ing less  than  German  life  and  blood  and 
the  recovery  of  beautiful  Alsace  and  Lor- 
raine. Single-handed,  France  could  never 
have  succeeded,  but  now  that  her  pow- 
erful friends,  England  and  Russia,  are 
found  willing  to  join  hands  with  her  in 
curbing  once  and  for  all  the  dangerous 
tendencies  of  German  ruthlessness,  she 
believes  her  hope  may  be  attained.  Once 
again  it  may  be  frankly  replied  we  have 
not  yet  found  the  reason  for  the  war. 

4.  It  is  a long  way  from  the  sunny 
fields  of  France  to  the  cold  and  frozen 


10 


The  Reason  for  War 


heart  of  Russia.  But  the  stream  of  mad- 
ness flows  very  swiftly  in  these  days  of 
war,  and  the  torpid,  sluggish,  frozen 
Russian  has  become  aroused  at  last,  the 
summons  to  war  has  met  a quick  and 
ready  response,  the  growl  of  the  bear  is 
heard,  his  claws  and  cruel  mouth  are 
stained  with  the  blood  of  his  Western 
neighbors  and  his  dull  heart  is  fired  with 
what  he  thinks  a noble  ambition,  to 
sweep  away  at  last  the  barriers  which  for 
so  many  centuries  have,  like  a wall  of 
adamant,  withstood  his  progress  to  the 
sea.  At  last  an  open  port  is  in  sight,  and 
that  port  Constantinople.  A door  of 
wider  opportunity  is  opening  and  soon 
Russia  hopes  that  her  immense  grain 
fields  will  prove  a veritable  stream  of 
gold  in  providing  food  for  many  millions 
beyond  her  borders.  Surely  none  can  find 
fault  with  so  noble  an  enterprise,  none 
can  question  the  right  of  Russia  to  im- 
prove and  develop  her  people,  and  inci- 
dentally to  increase  her  wealth.  Is  she 
not  justified  in  entering  the  tremendous 
conflict  and  making  the  most  of  that  op- 
portunity now  presented  by  joining  the 
allies  and  winning  her  way  not  to  the  sun 


The  Reason  for  War 


11 


but  to  the  sea?  Single-handed,  she,  too, 
could  not  hope  to  achieve  her  aim  for 
many  years  to  come,  because  time,  much 
time,  is  needed  yet  to  develop  her  re- 
sources and  teach  her  millions  those  les- 
sons of  obedience,  sacrifice  and  manhood 
absolutely  essential  in  contending  suc- 
cessfully with  such  an  antagonist  as 
Germany. 

Have  we  not  at  last  the  answer  or 
rather  is  not  the  answer  to  be  found  by 
the  combining  of  all  the  facts  stated  re- 
garding Germany,  England,  France  and 
Russia?  Is  not  the  war  due  to  the  jeal- 
ousies, fears  and  false  ambitions  of  all 
these  nations  of  Europe?  Once  again  we 
must  say  no;  but  we  will  admit  that  all 
of  these  are  secondary  or  contributory 
causes. 

Let  us  try  once  again.  Italy,  the  land 
of  poetry  and  song,  the  land  of  art  and 
sculpture,  the  home  of  the  beautiful,  the 
aesthetic,  the  delicate ; Italy,  whose  won- 
derful climate  and  more  wonderful  people 
draw  to  themselves  all  the  admirers  of 
the  elevated,  the  pure,  the  charming; 
Italy,  even  Italy  has  at  last  drawn  the 


12 


The  Reason  for  War 


sword  and  become  partner  in  this  feast 
of  rage,  passion,  blood  and  devilishness. 
Moreover,  her  enemies  say  that  Italy  is 
a traitor,  a turncoat,  a coward,  waiting 
until  her  allies,  Germany  and  Austria,  are 
surrounded  by  the  foe  and  weakened  by 
many  a hard-fought  battle,  then  leaving 
them  in  the  lurch  and  joining  hands  with 
the  Allies  because  she  believes  the  Allies 
will  win  and  that  she  will  be  a sharer  in 
the  spoils  of  war.  My  opinion  is  that 
such  statements  are  unjust  to  Italy. 
Rather  do  I believe  that  Italy,  finding 
herself  allied  with  nations  who  believe 
that  scraps  of  paper  may  be  destroyed  at 
will,  that  solemn  treaties  may  be  abro- 
gated if  national  ambitions  run  counter 
to  them,  has  decided  to  leave  such  part- 
ners, finding  their  methods  incompatible 
with  her  sense  of  reason  and  right,  and 
has  chosen  wisely  the  best  time  for  doing 
so.  What  folly  for  her  in  the  beginning 
of  the  war  to  have  taken  such  a step  as 
she  now  has  taken ! All  the  world  was 
amazed,  stunned,  at  such  action  on  the 
part  of  Germany.  The  confusion  of  ideas 
arising  from  such  a piece  of  folly,  the  un- 
certainty as  to  her  best  future  policy 


The  Reason  for  War 


13 


quite  natural  under  the  conditions,  and 
the  unquestioned  ruin  she  would  bring 
upon  herself  if  in  revenge  at  her  disloyal- 
ty the  armies  of  Austria  “came  down  like 
a wolf  on  the  fold,  their  cohorts  all  gleam- 
ing in  purple  and  gold”;  all  these  seem 
to  me  good  and  sufficient  reasons  for 
Italy  doing  as  she  has  done.  If  I find 
that  my  partners  are  rascals,  shall  I for- 
feit my  self-respect  by  continuing  my 
partnership  with  them? 

Have  we  not  at  last  found  the  reason, 
the  true  reason,  for  the  war  in  Italy’s  de- 
cision ; a decision  in  harmony  with  the 
sentiments  of  the  world  condemning  the 
ruthlessness  and  barbarity  of  Germany 
and  Austria?  And  once  more  shall  we 
say,  most  emphatically,  no ! 

Let  us  not  puzzle  ourselves  any  tur- 
ther,  but  say  that  the  true  reason  for  this 
war  and  all  the  wars  the  world  has  ever 
seen  is  found  in  the  eating  of  an  apple. 
Ages  and  ages  ago,  when  the  soul  of  man 
was  born,  there  began  a conflict  in  that 
soul  entailing  all  the  sorrow,  all  the  tears, 
all  the  bloodshed  and  all  the  sin  of  man. 
It  will  be  recalled  that  the  scene  was  a 


14  The  Reason  for  War 

beautiful  garden  filled  with  luscious  fruits 
and  fragrant  flowers.  The  Owner  of  the 
garden,  a man,  a woman,  and  a serpent 
were  the  actors  in  a tragedy.  The  ser- 
pent beguiled  the  woman  and  tempted 
her  to  eat  an  apple ; she  induced  her  hus- 
band to  partake.  The  Owner  of  the  gar- 
den was  very  angry  at  the  man  and  the 
woman  because  He  had  told  them  not  to 
eat  the  fruit  of  that  particular  tree.  In 
His  anger  He  drove  them  out  of  the  gar- 
den because  of  their  disobedience.  The 
descendants  of  the  man  and  woman  in- 
herited their  tendency  to  disobey,  and  so 
sin  came  into  the  world.  All  will  admit 
that  if  there  was  no  sin  in  the  world 
there  would  be  no  sorrow;  no  tears,  no 
crime,  no  war,  for  all  would  live  at  peace 
and  every  one  would  think  as  carefully 
of  his  neighbor’s  rights  and  happiness  as 
of  his  own. 

Now,  war  is  like  an  epileptic  fit.  When 
the  fit  comes  on  the  patient  falls  to  the 
ground,  wallowing  and  foaming;  he  is 
bereft  of  reason  and  is  altogether  a most 
disgusting  and  fearful  object.  The  fit 
passes,  reason  returns  and  the  patient  be- 


The  Reason  for  War 


15 


comes  quite  normal  again.  But  the  dis- 
ease is  still  there  and  only  time  is  needed 
for  the  recurrence  of  the  terrible  symp- 
toms, declaring  most  positively  there  is 
no  hope  of  release  for  the  tortured  suf- 
ferer until  the  cause  of  the  disease  is  re- 
moved. All  the  wars  of  the  world  are 
but  the  recurring  fits  of  madness  and 
insanity  which  will  surely  continue  to 
afflict  mankind  until  the  disease  of  sin  is 
removed.  Is  there  no  hope?  There  still 
stands,  glorious  and  beautiful,  that  tree 
whose  leaves  are  for  the  healing  of  the 
nations.  The  leaves  are  a sure  panacea, 
a never-failing  cure  for  the  terrible  curse. 
All  the  world  knows  of  the  cure,  ten 
thousand  times  ten  thousand  souls  will 
swear  to  its  wondrous  power  in  their  own 
lives  and  the  glorious  peace  and  calm 
content  that  follows  like  a benediction 
falling  on  the  troubled  hearts  of  those 
who  take  the  Master  at  His  word,  who 
heed  His  call : “Come  unto  me  and  rest, 
take  my  yoke  upon  you  and  learn  of  me, 
for  my  yoke  is  easy  and  my  burden  is 
light.” 

Again,  war  is  the  rod  in  the  hand  of 
Almighty  God,  laid  on  the  backs  of  dis- 


16 


The  Reason  for  War 


obedient  children  who  continually  flout 
Him,  break  His  laws  and  follow  their 
own  wills.  Some  day  the  world  will 
wake  up  to  the  fact  that  it  is  folly  to 
arouse  His  anger  and  to  invite  the  light- 
ning of  His  wrath  by  such  asininity, 
when  it  is  very  much  more  comfortable 
and  pleasant  to  live  in  harmony  with  Him 
and  to  enjoy  the  favor  of  His  approval. 
He  showers  His  richest  blessings  on 
those  who  seek  Him  and  who  try  to  or- 
der their  lives  in  accordance  with  His 
commands. 

It  needs  but  brief  consideration  to 
show  clearly  the  relationship  between  sin 
and  war.  It  was  admitted  that  the  am- 
bitions of  Germany,  the  greed,  the  jeal- 
ousy and  fears  of  England,  the  revenge 
of  France  and  the  aims  of  Russia  have 
had  much  to  do  with  the  war;  undoubt- 
edly they  are  secondary  and  contributory 
causes.  It  only  remains  to  show  how 
these  secondary  causes  are  due  to  sin. 
Are  not  these  secondary  causes  plainly 
the  result  of  forgetting  or  of  breaking  the 
law  of  God  where  He  says : “Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.” 


The  Reason  for  War 


17 


How  is  love  for  one’s  neighbor  to  be 
reconciled  with  an  ambition  so  cruel  and 
ruthless  that  the  ruin  of  a nation  of  seven 
millions  is  but  an  incident?  How  is  love 
for  one’s  neighbor  to  be  reconciled  with 
the  ideals  of  an  empire  willing  to  reduce 
a nation  of  over  three  hundred  millions 
to  the  depths  of  vice  and  crime  by  forc- 
ing upon  them  use  of  opium,  with  all  its 
horrors  for  the  love  of  money?  How  is 
love  for  one’s  neighbor  to  be  reconciled 
with  the  fierce  and  fearful  spirit  of  re- 
venge that  for  forty  years  has  been  one 
of  the  guiding  impulses  of  a mighty  na- 
tion? “Vengeance  is  mine,  I will  repay,” 
saith  the  Lord,  has  been  entirely  over- 
looked, forgotten  or  disregarded.  How 
is  love  for  one’s  neighbor  to  be  reconciled 
with  that  absolute  disregard  of  one’s  own 
people,  that  terrible,  cold,  calculating,  in- 
domitable grinding  down  and  blotting 
out  of  all  the  hopes,  longings  and  aims 
inherent  in  the  human  soul,  even  in  the 
cruelty  of  Russia? 

Is  any  further  evidence  needed  to  show 
the  intimate  relationship  between  sin  and 
these  secondary  or  contributory  causes 


18 


The  Reason  for  War 


of  the  war?  If  breaking  the  law  of  God 
is  sin,  surely  the  nations  of  the  world 
have  sinned  most  grievously.  And  yet 
this  is  only  a part  of  the  black  record. 
What  shall  we  say  of  drunkenness,  vice, 
murder,  indifference  to  the  suffering  of 
toiling,  dying  men  and  women  around 
us?  What  shall  we  say  of  that  lack  of 
appreciation  of  the  mercy  and  love  of  an 
infinite  God  so  clearly  proven  by  the 
worldly,  selfish,  pleasure-loving  multi- 
tudes, both  in  and  out  of  the  church, 
which  merits  the  comment,  “Without 
God  and  without  hope  in  the  world”? 
Surely  the  lightnings  of  His  fury  and  the 
thunderbolts  of  His  wrath  are  more  than 
justified.  And  should  our  fair  land,  too, 
be  wrapped  in  the  consuming  flame  of 
His  punishments,  would  we  not  bow  our 
heads  most  humbly  and  say,  with  con- 
trite heart:  In  all  Thy  dealings  with  Thy 
children  Thou  art  just? 


THE  BASIS  FOR  PERMANENT 
PEACE 

'“pHE  nations  of  the  world  are  slowly 
learning  that  the  teachings  of  the  Gal- 
ilean are  sound.  In  the  truth  of  this 
statement  rests  whatever  of  hope  we  may 
entertain  for  a permanent  and  satisfac- 
tory peace  when  the  present  war  is  over. 
Before  the  terms  of  peace  can  be  wisely 
discussed  the  true  nature  of  war  and  the 
reason  for  war  must  be  acknowledged.  If 
you  read  Bernhardi  or  Prof.  Crambe  you 
may  conclude  with  them  that  war  is  real- 
ly a blessing  to  a people,  developing  their 
courage,  self-sacrifice,  etc.  I am  willing 
indeed  to  agree  with  them  that  war  is  a 
blessing,  but  for  a very  different  reason 
from  the  one  they  recognize. 

A loving  father  has  a wilful,  disobedi- 
ent son.  After  all  other  measures  of  cor- 
rection fail,  the  father,  as  a last  resort, 
applies  the  rod.  A good,  sound  thrash- 
ing will  do  more  for  that  boy  than  hours 
of  counsel  and  tender  advice.  The  result 
proves  the  wisdom  of  the  father  and  the 
lad  grows  into  a worthy  man.  War  is 


19 


20 


Basis  for  Permanent  Peace 


nothing  more  than  the  punishment  of 
God  upon  wilful,  disobedient  people  who 
will  never  obey  until  they  are  compelled 
through  suffering  to  turn  from  their  self- 
ishness and  follies  to  the  soul’s  last  re- 
sort, God.  The  punishment  may  entail 
rivers  of  blood  and  oceans  of  tears,  but 
the  means  are  justified  by  the  end,  at 
least  in  this  case.  Furthermore,  no  other 
means  have  ever  been  found  adequate. 

Illustrations  without  number  can  be 
given  of  the  truth  of  this  statement.  The 
one  best  known  is  found  in  the  history 
of  Israel.  But  close  analysis  will  show 
that  the  same  statement  is  true  of  other 
wars. 

The  problem  before  the  nations  is  to 
learn  what  God  intends  by  this  most  ter- 
rible war  in  the  world’s  history.  And  now 
we  have  arrived  at  the  point  where  we 
began,  viz.,  that  the  teachings  of  the  Gal- 
ilean are  sound.  God  sent  His  Son  to 
teach  men  how  to  live.  “I  am  come  that 
they  may  have  life  and  that  they  may 
have  it  more  abundantly.”  And  what 
does  He  tell  us  about  living?  That  the 
underlying  principle  governing  all  our 
relations  with  each  other  is  embodied  in 
that  one  immortal  saying:  “Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.”  Many  ex- 
periments have  been  made  to  test  the 
wisdom  of  this  command.  Have  they 


Basis  for  Permanent  Peace 


21 


been  successful  and  does  the  rule  really 
apply  to  every-day  affairs?  How  about 
humanitarianism  so  much  talked  of  at 
present  and  which  is  one  of  the  strong, 
leading  tendencies  of  the  present  genera- 
tion? Certainly  humanitarianism  is  the 
direct  application  of  the  rule.  Does  hu- 
manitarianism work,  is  it  sensible  or  vis- 
ionary, is  it  a sound  policy,  does  it  tend 
to  peace,  or  is  its  influence  for  discord, 
does  it  make  the  world  any  better?  To 
ask  the  question  is  to  answer  it.  Every 
other  test  of  the  command  has  residted 
in  like  manner.  In  short,  God  knows 
what  is  best  for  man,  and  Christ  made 
no  mistakes  when  He  stated  God’s  laws 
for  man. 

Objection  will  be  made  that  war  is 
often  the  result  of  ambition,  revenge, 
greed,  etc.,  etc.  These  indeed  are  sec- 
ondary causes,  but  what  more  do  they  all 
amount  to  than  failure  to  consider  the 
rights  of  other  nations  as  equal  to  our 
own  rights?  Again,  objection  will  be 
made  that  if  war  is  a punishment  from 
God  then  the  punishment  is  a failure,  for 
war  has  existed  from  the  earliest  times, 
and  therefore  God’s  chastisements  are 
unavailing  and  mankind  will  continue  to 
the  end  of  time  much  as  it  is  now.  Partly 
true  and  partly  false,  and  like  most  com- 
pounds of  truth  and  error  utterly  mis- 
leading. One  generation  quickly  forgets 


22  Basis  for  Permanent  Peace 

the  experiences,  the  tragedies,  the  senti- 
ments of  an  earlier  generation.  One  of 
the  puzzles  of  life  is  that  we  almost  never 
will  learn  from  others’  experience.  The 
teaching  of  history  is  clear  about  the  lux- 
ury, the  weakening  of  moral  sentiment, 
the  final  decline  of  the  splendid  Roman 
Empire,  but  many  nations  since  then 
have  gone  or  are  going  the  same  way. 
No,  there  is  nothing  in  history  that  will 
controvert  the  assumption  that  war  is 
God’s  way  of  bringing  nations  and  races 
to  a proper  understanding  of  the  fact 
that  this  is  His  world,  and  if  kings, 
princes,  rulers  and  peoples  will  not  live 
in  it  in  accordance  with  His  laws  but  in- 
sist upon  infringing  those  laws,  by  the 
very  nature  of  the  case  retribution  must 
follow.  The  more  severe  the  punishment 
the  shorter  it  may  be.  The  horror  of  the 
present  war  has  never  been  equalled.  But 
the  sins  of  the  nations  have  never  been 
so  great  because  in  the  light  of  God’s 
revelation  of  His  will  and  His  law  made 
so  plain  by  the  Christ  that  a man  can  read 
His  meaning  even  while  he  runs  and  the 
meaning  may  be  clear  even  to  a half-wit ; 
in  the  bright  light  of  this  revelation,  I 
say,  brighter  and  brighter  as  the  years 
roll  by,  what  do  we  find  to  be  the  condi- 
tions prevailing  throughout  the  nations? 
Drunkenness  everywhere;  vice,  commer- 
cialized or  otherwise,  rampant  in  city, 


Basis  for  Permanent  Peace  23 

town,  village,  even  in  the  home ; lust  of 
gold  and  lust  of  power  consuming  the 
hearts  and  filling  the  minds  of  multi- 
tudes; trifling  with  justice  in  the  name 
of  the  law;  supreme  indifference  to  the 
agony  and  suffering  of  the  poor ; envy, 
jealousy,  hatred,  common  as  the  air  we 
breathe.  This  is  but  the  beginning  of  the 
list  of  crimes  and  follies  of  the  present 
day:  a condition  which  has  long  existed 
and  which  has  caused  an  agony  so  great 
that  the  cry  has  long  been  ascending  to 
the  very  gates  of  heaven,  “How  long,  O 
Lord,  how  long?”  The  answer  to  that 
cry  is  being  seen  in  the  present  war. 

The  query  often  arises — Is  this  the  last 
great  war?  There  is  no  reason  for  think- 
ing so  unless  mankind  has  reached  that 
stage  of  development,  of  evolution  if  you 
like,  where  common  sense  at  last  prevails 
over  stupid  perversity.  If  that  wonder- 
ful day  is  dawning  when  at  last  the  Ruler 
of  the  universe  is  recognized  as  a God 
that  punishes  as  well  as  a Father  that 
loves  and  saves,  then  there  is  hope  of  per- 
manent peace,  and  not  till  then. 

It  may  be  suggested  that  according  to 
this  theory  America  is  spotless,  since  she 
has  not  yet  at  least  been  drawn  into  the 
vortex  of  this  whirlwind  of  madness ; 
and  we  know  that  such  is  far  from  being 
the  truth,  No,  our  fair  land  is  smirched 


21  Basis  for  Permanent  Peace 

and  soiled  with  the  same  vileness  and 
criminal  folly.  But  America  is  still  a 
young  nation;  God  is  still  patient  with 
her;  there  is  ample  time  for  her  to  fill  to 
the  brim  her  cup  of  iniquity  and  to  so 
weary  the  patience  of  the  Almighty  that 
at  last  she,  too,  will  feel  the  lightning  and 
the  fury  of  His  wrath.  At  times  we  can 
almost  hear  the  warning,  and  can  almost 
see  the  flash  of  the  distant  storm. 

Listen : Not  long  ago  very  early  one 
morning,  before  the  darkness  had  left  the 
sky,  before  the  birds  began  to  sing,  I 
heard  a rumble  of  distant  thunder.  In 
the  stillness  of  the  night  it  sounded  omi- 
nous, startling,  and  suddenly  I seemed  to 
see  a vision  of  the  future,  the  ultimate 
America,  caught  at  last  in  the  conse- 
quence of  her  sin  and  groaning  under  the 
agony  of  punishment  Divine. 

In  the  dawning  of  the  morning, 

Came  the  thunder  of  the  Lord, 
The  day  of  wrath  was  breaking 
In  accordance  with  His  word. 

— Malachi  4:1. 

I do  verily  believe  that  unless  there  is 
some  radical  change  in  our  treatment  of 
these  grave  issues  that  there  is  no  escape 
from  the  wrath  of  an  outraged  God. 

Regarding  the  terms  of  peace  for  the 
present  war:  Is  it  possible  to  discuss  the 


Basis  for  Permanent  Peace  25 

terms  on  an  entirely  new  basis,  in  a man- 
ner different  from  any  hitherto  employed, 
a basis  consonant  with  our  original  prop- 
osition, love  to  our  neighbor?  Let  us  see 
how  such  a policy  would  work  out  if  ap- 
plied to  the  nations  of  Europe.  Let  us 
suppose  that  some  years  ago  Great  Brit- 
ain decided  on  a certain  policy  affecting 
her  trade  relationship  with  Germany, 
France  and  Russia.  The  policy  became 
law  and  was  executed  because  it  was  ad- 
vantageous to  Britain.  Its  effect  on  Ger- 
many, France  and  Russia  would  undoubt- 
edly be  injurious,  but  that  fact  would  be 
of  secondary  importance,  and  in  truth 
might  even  be  considered  an  advantage 
as  a retaliation  for  some  previous  injury 
to  England  resulting  from  a policy  adopt- 
ed by  either  Germany,  France  or  Russia 
at  some  former  time.  Now  what  do  we 
find?  When  England  adopts  this  policy 
beneficial  to  herself  alone  and  injurious 
to  her  neighbors,  exciting  their  just  re- 
sentment, right  then  and  there  has  been 
sown  one  of  the  seeds  of  a future  war. 
A wiser  and  more  statesmanlike  method 
of  procedure  would  be  for  England  to 
frankly  present  to  Germany,  France  and 
Russia  a brief  of  her  new  policy  and  in- 
quire of  them  if  such  policy  would  be 
mutually  satisfactory.  If  either  Germany, 
France  or  Russia  should  reply  that  such 
a policy  would,  in  their  opinion,  prove  in- 


26  Basis  for  Permanent  Peace 

jurious,  a council  of  the  nations  involved 
could  be  called  and  after  due  deliberation 
a policy  could  be  framed  which  would  be 
of  benefit  to  all.  Now  what  have  we 
found?  Such  action  on  the  part  of  Eng- 
land would  compel  the  respect  of  Ger- 
many, France  and  Russia,  would  win 
their  affection.  In  time  of  distress  be- 
cause of  famine,  pestilence,  or  any  other 
affliction,  Germany,  France  and  Russia 
would  hurry  to  the  assistance  of  Eng- 
land, seeing  in  her  a big  brother  in  dis- 
tress. One  of  the  seeds  of  permanent 
peace  would  have  been  sown.  There  is 
no  need  to  extend  the  argument.  Its  ap- 
peal will  meet  every  reasonable  mind. 
But  will  the  minds  of  those  whose  high 
duty  is  to  arrange  the  terms  of  this  peace 
be  reasonable?  There  is  the  danger  and 
there  is  the  uncertainty. 

As  some  one  has  already  suggested 
there  would  no  longer  be  need  of  army 
or  navy,  except  a police  force  on  land  and 
sea  adequate  to  quell  any  disturbance 
that  might  arise  because  of  some  member 
of  the  new  family  of  nations  forgetting 
the  rule  under  which  all  were  living.  This 
police  force  could  be  easily  sustained  by 
a tax  on  all  the  nations,  levied  in  propor- 
tion to  the  wealth  of  each.  What  a trifle 
this  would  be  compared  to  the  crushing 
burdens  under  which  Europe  is  stagger- 
ing today ! 


Basis  for  Permanent  Peace  27 

The  benefits  that  would  accrue  to  all 
from  a peace  settled  on  the  terms  of  bro- 
therly love  are  almost  without  number 
and  volumes  might  be  written  on  the  sub- 
ject. The  imagination  loves  to  dwell  on 
the  conditions  which  will  prevail  among 
men  when  at  last  the  Prince  of  Peace  has 
come  to  dwell  and  to  rule  in  our  hearts, 
our  homes,  our  cities,  and  the  nations  of 
the  world.  Will  such  an  ideal  state  al- 
ways be  an  ideal?  Can  it  never  crystal- 
ize  into  reality?  Assuredly  there  is  hope. 
Read  the  signs  of  the  times;  Russia  de- 
claring positively  against  intemperance ; 
England  trying  to  be  as  progressive  as 
Russia;  France  learning  again  to  pray,  if 
we  may  believe  reports  of  the  press. 
These  are  signs  of  deep  import,  they  in- 
dicate that  these  nations  are  at  least  turn- 
ing toward  The  Light.  Who  shall  say 
that  they  will  not  one  day  fairly  face  the 
rising  sun  and  behold  the  glorious  day 
arise  when  the  Son  of  Righteousness 
shall  shine  above  a world  undimmed  by 
the  fogs,  the  mists,  the  dark  clouds  of 
selfishness,  perversity  and  folly? 

You  and  I,  dear  reader,  may  never  see 
this  glorious  day.  The  peace  soon  we 
hope  to  be  adjusted  may  be  patched  up 
on  the  terms  of  man’s  wisdom  ; terms  in- 
volving more  or  less  of  further  punish- 
ment and  disgrace  to  the  conquered  na- 
tion or  nations,  as  the  case  may  be;  terms 


28 


Basis  for  Permanent  Peace 


that  will  leave  a sting  as  dangerous  as 
the  sting  of  a serpent’s  tooth,  with  its 
poison  working  its  deadly  way  through- 
out the  nation;  terms,  perchance,  that 
may  seem  plausible  on  the  surface  but 
which  conceal  craftily  the  greed  and  av- 
arice underlying;  terms  which  are  abso- 
lutely in  essence  devoid  of  that  brother- 
ly love  which  must  be  the  basis  of  any 
permanent  peace.  A peace  so  arranged 
may  last  for  a term  of  years,  longer  or 
shorter  is  not  of  much  consequence. 
When  that  period  is  ended  we  will  have 
another  feast  of  passion,  blood,  lust,  re- 
venge, devilishness,  quite  worthy  of  such 
asininity.  But  doubt  not  that  the  day  will 
finally  come  when  the  long,  long,  weary 
lesson  ended  at  last,  the  statesmen  of  the 
nations,  men  who  fear  God  and  who  love 
His  Son,  will  assemble  in  solemn  con- 
clave, remembering  Him  who  said, 
“Come,  now,  let  us  reason  together.” 
Guided  at  last  by  that  Light  which  never 
yet  has  misled  the  sons  of  men,  those 
statesmen  will  arrange  a peace  that  will 
last  as  long  as  the  Rock  of  Ages  on  which 
it  will  be  founded. 


THE  WRATH  OF  MAN  AND  THE 
LOVE  OF  GOD 


A WORLD  catastrophe  so  great  as  the 
^ present  war  must  of  necessity  pro- 
duce results  unexpected.  We  read  with 
tranquil  mind  perhaps  of  the  great  wars 
of  the  past.  In  the  light  of  the  events 
preceding  and  following  those  wars,  they 
seem  not  so  strange  or  unusual.  In  fact, 
reasoning  from  cause  to  effect  we  may 
almost  say  such  changings  and  over- 
turnings were  unavoidable.  But  when 
we  live  in  the  midst  of  such  a time  of 
terror  and  distress,  when  the  brutal  in- 
stincts of  man  unrestrained  by  law  or 
convention  burst  forth  in  all  their  true 
and  horrid  nakedness,  when  honor  which 
even  thieves  are  supposed  to  respect,  is 
found  to  be  an  unknown  quantity,  then 
questions  begin  to  arise,  and  many  begin 
to  doubt  even  those  eternal  verities  upon 
which  they  thought  were  founded  their 
faith  in  God  and  man.  It  is  one  thing  to 
read  of  a fight  to  the  death ; it  is  quite 
another  thing  to  be  a participant  in  such 
a struggle. 

All  who  sympathize  with  the  weakness 


30  Wrath  of  Man  and  Love  of  God 

of  human  nature  feel  the  need  of  exercis- 
ing not  a little  charity  for  those  who  once 
proclaimed  a glowing  faith  in  God’s 
goodness  and  love,  and  who  now  find  that 
their  faith  wavers,  that  the  sunlight  of 
their  hope  is  dimmed,  that  cruel  doubt  of 
the  very  existence  of  a God  who  is  good 
constantly  recurs,  and  whose  lapse  into 
pessimism  is  a serious  stumbling  block 
to  others. 

All  attempts  to  understand  the  mystery 
of  suffering  will  end  much  like  the  at- 
tempt to  understand  the  mystery  of  orig- 
inal sin ; the  mystery  will  remain  a mys- 
tery still.  But  suffering  like  sin  must  be 
accepted  as  an  undeniable  fact  just  as  the 
phenomena  of  nature  must  be  accepted 
as  undeniable  facts,  although  they  are  but 
partially  understood.  Even  if  we  may 
not  fully  comprehend  the  mystery  of  suf- 
fering, there  are  many  truths  related  to 
it  that  no  one  denies  and  which  may  be 
found  in  their  acceptance  to  have  some 
bearing  on  the  almost  staggering  prob- 
lem of  the  war. 

Since  the  time  when  man  first  broke 
the  law  of  God  suffering  has  been  as 
common  in  the  experience  of  men  as  the 
air  we  breathe.  Even  the  holy  Son  of 
God  endured  calmly,  bravely,  patiently, 
sufferings  beyond  the  experience  of  any 
of  the  sons  of  men.  Now  we  do  not  find 


Wrath  of  Man  and  Love  of  God  31 

doubt  arise  because  sin  and  sorrow  and 
suffering  have  been  and  are  so  universal. 
We  accept  this  fact  as  something  dread- 
ful, indeed,  and  to  a great  extent  unnec- 
essary in  view  of  Christ’s  cleansing 
blood,  but  we  do  not  doubt  the  goodness 
of  God  or  His  wondrous  love  to  man  be- 
cause these  things  are  true.  Rather  is 
our  faith  in  Him  strengthened  and  our 
love  for  Him  deepened  since,  notwith- 
standing our  sins  and  consequent  suffer- 
ing, His  love  prevails  over  all  and  peace 
comes  to  us  through  acceptance  of  His 
marvelous  gift. 

Now  why  should  our  faith  stumble 
when  the  sorrow,  suffering  and  agony 
are  multiplied  even  to  the  terrible  pro- 
portions due  to  this  war?  No  new  prin- 
ciple has  entered  into  the  problem.  The 
factors  are  the  same.  If  two  times  two 
equals  four,  is  there  any  new  truth  stated 
when  we  say  four  times  four  equals  six- 
teen? If  sin  drove  Adam  from  Eden,  and 
if  sin  caused  the  death  on  Calvary,  should 
we  wonder  that  sin  represented  by  twen- 
ty centuries  of  the  outrageous  neglect  of 
Christ’s  law  to  love  one  another  should 
result  in  such  a war?  No  new  factor  has 
entered  into  the  problem.  Reasoning 
from  cause  to  effect,  some  such  cataclysm 
seems  to  have  been  inevitable.  Surely 
the  consequence  of  sin  cannot  be  ques- 
tioned. The  history  of  mankind  leaves 


32  Wrath  of  Man  and  Love  of  God 

no  loop-hole  of  escape  from  the  conclu- 
sion : ‘‘The  wages  of  sin  is  death.” 

No  one  6f  honest  mind,  examining 
thoroughly  into  the  affairs  and  relation- 
ships of  men,  can  possibly  doubt  that  the 
law  of  love  and  charity  has  been  most 
grossly  violated  persistently  and  con- 
sciously since  that  law  was  first  enunci- 
ated. But  this  is  only  the  beginning  of 
the  list  of  failures  on  man’s  part  to  live 
in  harmony  with  God’s  commands.  In 
fact,  our  whole  civilization  is  permeated 
from  top  to  bottom  with  the  rottenness 
of  sin  and  selfishness.  Such  a broad  and 
sweeping  statement  does  not  in  the  least 
controvert  the  equally  true  statement 
that  there  are  many  true,  sincere,  loyal 
followers  of  Christ  whose  light  is  shin- 
ing steadily  and  brightly,  and  whose  lives 
make  all  the  more  clear  by  force  of  con- 
trast the  surrounding  darkness.  Because 
sin  is  so  terrible  a thing  and  its  conse- 
quences so  horrible  is  no  reason  for 
doubting  the  goodness  of  God  or  His 
love  to  man.  For  on  the  other  hand,  the 
consequences  of  obeying  His  laws  and 
living  in  harmony  with  His  will  do  un- 
questionably bring  peace  and  joy,  and 
all  the  satisfactions  of  a life  well  spent. 
Unless  we  admit  this  corresponding 
truth  we  merely  give  proof  that  we  are 
narrow-minded  and  disposed  to  consider 
but  one  side  of  the  problem.  An  honest, 


W rath  of  Man  and  Love  of  God  33 


fair-minded  and  dispassionate  study  of 
the  whole  matter  will  compel  us  to  ad- 
mit that  there  is  no  true  reason  for  doubt- 
ing our  God  or  His  love  to  man.  Let  us 
rather  be  fair-minded  enough  to  put  the 
blame  where  it  truly  belongs — upon  our- 
selves. 

In  looking  back  over  many  of  the  trag- 
ic events  of  history  we  have  brought 
home  to  us  the  truth  so  well  stated  cen- 
turies ago:  “Surely  the  wrath  of  man 

shall  praise  Thee;  the  remainder  of 
wrath  shalt  Thou  restrain.”  One  or  two 
examples  will  suffice.  The  terrible  out- 
break of  man’s  cruelty  and  stupidity 
shown  in  the  horrors  of  the  inquisition 
caused  the  faith  of  many  to  waver,  and 
not  a few  to  deny  their  Lord.  But  can 
any  one  now  question  that,  by  the  wis- 
dom of  Almighty  God,  this  fearful  storm 
of  man’s  wrath  was  made  the  very  in- 
strument whereby  the  flame  which  was 
intended  to  consume  and  destroy  those 
who  believed  in  worshipping  their  God 
according  to  their  conscience,  was  con- 
verted into  the  very  means  wffiereby  re- 
ligious liberty  eventually  became  domi- 
nant? Persecution  drove  our  forefathers 
across  the  seas;  but  the  landing  at  Ply- 
mouth Rock  was  symbolic  of  that  rock 
foundation  of  freedom  to  think  and  be- 
lieve as  we  choose,  on  which  was  to  be 
founded  the  future  growth  and  stability 


31  Wrath  of  Man  and  Love  of  God 


of  our  country.  The  awful  slaughter  of 
our  Civil  War  preceded  the  firmer  estab- 
lishment of  the  Union  and  the  freedom 
of  the  slave.  The  same  principle  is  found 
prevailing  in  the  long,  slow,  and  some- 
times disheartening  advance  of  civiliza- 
tion from  lower  to  higher  planes. 

Why  then  should  we  doubt  that  after 
this  unspeakably  fearful  time  of  suffer- 
ing the  same  advance  will  be  true?  Many 
of  us  may  not  live  long  enough  to  see 
the  wonderful  way  in  which  God  will  use 
this  tempest  of  man’s  wrath  for  His 
greater  praise  and  glory,  but  we  may  on 
this  rest  assured,  that  whatsoever  of  the 
storm  would  not  work  out  for  His  great- 
er praise  and  the  eventual  benefit  of  man- 
kind, will  be  restrained. 

Never  yet  have  His  promises  failed; 
never  yet  has  there  been  a reversal  of 
that  law  of  advance  just  noted;  never  yet, 
in  all  the  darkest  scenes  of  tragedy  and 
gloom,  has  the  light  of  faith  failed  and 
gone  out  in  the  hearts  of  all  of  His  true 
believers;  and  never  yet  has  that  faith 
failed  of  justification  in  the  light  of  fu- 
ture events. 

“Though  He  slay  me  yet  shall  I trust 
Him,”  was  uttered  centuries  ago  before 
our  Christ  had  given  the  final  and  most 
complete  proof  of  love  divine.  Remem- 
bering that  wondrous  life  of  sacrifice, 


Wrath  of  Man  and  Love  of  God  35 


suffering,  sorrow  and  death  for  you  and 
me,  cannot  our  faith  remain  firm  and 
true,  even  under  the  agony  and  distress 
of  the  present  war,  when  we  recall  that 
the  love  of  God  was  the  reason  for  the 
Star  of  Bethlehem  and  the  sacrifice  on 
Calvary?  To  be  sure  we  cannot  under- 
stand such  a love  as  this,  but  at  least  we 
may  be  true  to  it,  glory  in  it,  and  never 
question  it. 


THE  SIGNS  OF  PROMISE 


T S there  yet  the  dawning  of  the  morn- 
ing?  Is  the  night  of  rage  and  blood- 
shed passing?  Can  we  see  signs  of  re- 
turning sanity;  any  return  to  reason? 
“Watchman,  tell  us  of  the  night,  what 
the  signs  of  promise  are.”  The  world  is 
waiting  for  an  answer.  The  groaning  of 
the  prisoners,  the  suffering  of  the  wound- 
ed, the  agon\’  of  the  starving  and  op- 
pressed. the  tears  of  little  children,  the 
dumb  despair  of  crushed  nations — these 
terrible  witnesses  of  the  triumph  of  force 
and  cruelty  are  all  crying  aloud  for  the 
same  answer.  Is  there  any  answer,  and 
is  it  one  of  hope?  Is  there  any  room  for 
the  philosophy  of  the  optimist  in  a world 
darkened  by  such  a tempest  of  rage  and 
brutality?  Xo  one  believes  the  war  can 
last  forever : but  is  there  any  reason  to 
think  that  this  war  will  not  be  followed 
by  another  just  as  fearful?  He  would  be 
presumptuous  indeed  who  claimed  the 
wisdom  to  give  a definite  answer.  But 
there  are  certain  principles  involved  in 
the  problem  which  may  throw  at  least  a 
sidelight  on  its  solution. 


36 


37 


The  Signs  of  Promise 

Nothing  in  the  past  is  comparable  to 
the  present  world  conflict.  We  will  have 
to  go  far  back  indeed  to  find  anything 
that  even  resembles  a precedent.  The 
nearest  to  it  is  the  flood.  Just  as  the 
gracious  showers  cleanse  the  air  in  sum- 
mer time  and  refresh  drooping  nature,  so 
the  might}"  waters  in  Noah's  day  swept 
away  the  accumulated  filth  and  abomina- 
tions of  centuries.  A world  was  involved 
in  the  cleaning  because  a world  was  in- 
volved in  the  filth.  But  fire  will  cleanse 
as  thoroughly  as  water.  The  bow  of 
promise  was  never  extended  to  cover  de- 
vouring flames.  If  a flood  was  needed  to 
cleanse  a filthy  world,  why  is  not  a 
cleansing  fire  to  be  expected  if  the  world 
becomes  filthy  again  and  refuses  any 
milder  form  of  purifying?  I have  heard 
the  statement  that  just  previous  to  the 
war  civilization  was  at  its  highest  stage ; 
mankind  had  evolved — developed,  if  you 
like — to  a point  never  before  attained ; 
education  was  more  general  than  had 
been  known ; even  the  spirit  of  charity 
was  evident  in  all  lands,  among  all  races : 
in  fact,  the  world  was  going  very  well 
and  the  dawn  of  a better  day  was  clearly 
visible.  Therefore,  such  a climax  of  hor- 
ror and  suffering,  such  a tempest  of 
the  brutal  instincts  of  primitive  man. 
seems  to  be  a reversal,  a turning  back- 
ward. a retrogression,  a negative  answer 


38 


The  Signs  of  Promise 


to  man's  well-founded  hope  of  a better 
and  a brighter  day. 

Such  a statement  and  such  an  inference 
are  absolutely  misleading.  If  I am  fol- 
lowing an  uncertain  path  in  the  darkness 
of  the  night,  I may  stumble  and  fall.  If 
I am  walking  over  the  same  path  at  noon 
day,  stumbling  and  falling  are  inexcus- 
able. The  accumulated  light  of  centuries 
was  shining  on  man’s  pathway  on  August 
1st,  1914.  And  yet  the  events  immedi- 
ately following  are  comparable  to  those 
of  the  Stone  Age.  Such  stupid  blunder- 
ing is  almost  past  believing.  If  a few 
years  ago  a prophet  had  declared  what 
the  world  would  see  during  1914,  1915 
and  1916,  he  would  have  been  judged  by 
the  majority  of  mankind  fit  for  the 
asylum. 

And  yet  the  student  of  the  past  reason- 
ing from  cause  to  effect  might  have  found 
in  the  prophet’s  words  only  a repetition 
of  a story  so  old  and  oft  repeated  that 
the  wonder  would  be  that  the  world  had 
not  learned  the  simple  lesson  long  ago. 
Let  me  illustrate:  In  a little  pamphlet 

issued  some  months  ago  I made  the  fol- 
lowing statement:  “War  is  the  rod  in  the 
hand  of  Almighty  God,  laid  on  the  backs 
of  disobedient  children  who  continually 
flout  Him,  break  His  laws  and  follow 
their  own  wills.”  This  truth  is  not  gen- 


The  Signs  of  Promise 


39 


erally  accepted.  An  English  critic  takes 
exception  to  it  as  follows:  “The  whole 

cataclysm  is  far  more  visibly  the  work 
of  man  than  of  any  Higher  Power.”  The 
criticism  is  partly  true  and  deserving  of 
a reply.  Suppose  a father  truly  loves  his 
boy  and  is  deeply  grieved  at  his  persist- 
ent wrong-doing.  What  shall  the  father 
do?  His  action  will  depend  upon  the 
character  and  intensity  of  his  love  for  the 
boy.  A true  father  will  apply  the  rod, 
although  the  punishment  may  cause  him 
more  pain  than  the  son  suffers.  A third 
party  might  say  that  the  punishment  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  father  and  was 
caused  solely  by  the  boy’s  viciousness. 
Yet  if  there  had  been  no  father  there 
would  have  been  no  punishment. 

To  say  that  this  war  and  all  wars  are 
a punishment  from  the  Almighty  is  ab- 
solutely true ; it  is  equally  true  that  this 
war  and  all  wars  are  the  result  of  man’s 
folly,  stupidity  and  sin.  The  two  state- 
ments are  not  contradictory;  the  one  is 
the  supplement  of  the  other.  The  simple 
and  true  explanation  of  the  present  war 
is  found  in  the  fact  that  notwithstanding 
the  accumulated  light  and  knowledge  of 
all  ages  regarding  the  inevitable  result  of 
the  infraction  of  Divine  law,  mankind 
still  persisted  in  the  breaking  of  that  law 
in  numberless  ways.  Even  the  laws  of 
men,  which  are  but  the  reflection  of  Di- 


■10 


The  Signs  of  Promise 


vine  law,  must  be  observed.  If  broken, 
there  must  be  a penalty,  otherwise  our 
civilization  would  soon  cease  to  exist.  So 
simple  a truth  needs  no  explanation.  Can 
the  law  of  God  then  be  lightly  set  aside? 
If  the  punishments  of  men  are  to  be 
feared  when  their  laws  are  broken,  what 
shall  be  said  of  the  folly  of  those  who 
dare  to  outrage  the  God  of  heaven  and 
earth  and  to  violate  His  most  solemn 
commands?  But  little  thought  is  neces- 
sary to  show  the  connection.  During  the 
past  hundred  years  (any  other  period 
would  do  as  well),  what  has  been  the  un- 
derlying principle  governing  the  diplo- 
macy of  the  nations?  It  is  the  same  old 
story,  monotonous  in  its  repetition.  If 
the  other  nation  is  weak,  get  the  better 
of  it,  by  fair  means  or  foul.  If  the  other 
nation  is  ignorant  or  backward,  exploit 
it.  But  whatever  you  do  with  the  other 
nation  make  it  subserve  your  own  selfish 
interests.  Some  statesmen  have  gone  so 
far  as  to  teach  that  if  a nation  is  small 
or  weak,  that  is  of  itself  sufficient  reason 
for  a stronger  nation  to  crush  it.  Surely 
a beautiful  theory  and  one  to  make  the 
King  of  Hell  rejoice.  The  same  crass  ig- 
norance, nauseating  in  its  stupidity,  has 
prevailed  in  the  relationships  of  individ- 
uals as  well  as  nations.  Selfishness, 
greed,  brutal  passion,  lying,  fraud,  vio- 
lence, murder ; are  they  not  so  common 


The  Signs  of  Promise 


11 


that  our  daily  papers  are  filled  with  the 
disgusting  record?  Not  for  a moment 
should  we  overlook  or  minimize  the  hon- 
esty, the  courage,  the  truth,  the  generos- 
ity and  nobility  of  unnumbered  loyal 
souls  giving  of  their  best,  yes,  their  very 
lives  to  lighten  the  burdens  and  ease  the 
sorrows  of  others.  But  do  these  glori- 
ous ones  represent  the  majority  of  man- 
kind? A truthful  answer  compels  us  to 
admit  that  they  are  the  exception  to  a 
rule  briefly  summarized  by  the  words 
selfishness  and  sin. 

What  escape  can  there  be  from  the  in- 
evitable conclusion?  Sooner  or  later  ret- 
ribution must  follow;  the  only  uncertain- 
ty is  the  length  of  time.  There  can  be 
no  evasion  of  the  law ; moral  law  and  Di- 
vine law  are  as  remorseless  in  their  ac- 
tion as  physical  law.  If  I thrust  my  hand 
into  the  fire  can  I hope  to  escape  the 
pain?  I may  curse  the  fire  for  its  cruelty 
and  thereby  proclaim  myself  a fool.  So 
men  of  little  intelligence  or  brutal  stu- 
pidity may  curse  the  Almighty  for  these 
unparalleled  sufferings  and  thereby  prove 
their  folly.  The  greatest  poet  that  Eng- 
land ever  saw  once  wrote : “What  fools 
these  mortals  be  !”  But  he  did  not  go 
to  the  root  of  the  matter  and  explain  the 
reason  why  men  are  fools.  A greater 
man  than  he  gave  the  reason  in  words 
that  aptly  fit  the  present  times : “The 


42 


The  Sic,  ns  of  Promise 


fool  hath  said  in  his  heart,  there  is  no 
God.”  Very  few  can  be  found  today  to 
say  there  is  no  God;  but  “your  actions 
speak  so  loud  I cannot  hear  what  you 
say”  conveys  a truth  no  one  denies. 

The  deeds  of  the  majority  of  mankind 
today  are  a plain  declaration  of  absolute 
loyalty  to  Satan,  and  trust  in  his  prom- 
ises. Am  I overstating-  the  truth  when 
I say  that  in  their  dealings  with  each 
other  the  nations  are  governed  by  the 
same  principle,  that  of  absolute  selfish- 
ness and  disregard  of  the  highest  inter- 
ests and  rights  of  the  other  nations?  Here 
again  there  are  fine  exceptions  that  ev- 
eryone can  recall,  but  are  they  not  the 
exceptions  rather  than  the  rule?  Now  if 
the  Creator  of  mankind  was  indifferent 
to  the  future  of  the  race,  or  if  in  sadness 
at  such  persistent  folly  He  concluded  to 
leave  them  to  their  fate,  if  He  had  not 
by  numberless  proofs  made  plain  that  He 
would  terribly  punish  but  would  never 
totally  annihilate,  we  might  conclude 
that  this  war  would  continue  and  would 
develop  until  the  filth  and  abomination 
of  the  world  were  as  thoroughly  cleaned 
by  the  enveloping  flame  as  when  the  wa- 
ters so  long  ago  did  the  will  of  the 
Almighty. 

Some  thousands  of  years  ago  it  took 
seventy  years  of  cruel  captivity  to  teach 


The  Signs  of  Promise 


13 


a race  the  folly  and  sin  of  idol  worship ; 
but  this  severe  punishment  did  not  come 
until  after  repeated  punishments  of 
shorter  duration.  Was  the  lesson  learned? 
Never  again  in  the  history  of  that  race 
do  we  hear  of  idol  worship.  Shall  we  say 
then  that  this  war  will  continue  until  the 
nations  shall  put  away  their  sins,  truly 
repent  and  live  in  decency  and  righteous- 
ness? By  no  means.  He  who  would 
pretend  to  know  the  mind  of  God  and 
who  claimed  to  fathom  His  purposes,  to 
declare  the  times  and  the  seasons,  would 
be  devoid  of  common  sense  as  well  as 
reverence.  But  this  truth  may  be  stated 
without  hesitation:  either  this  war  will 
continue  until  men  confess  their  sins  and 
cry  in  agony  for  repentance  or  it  will  be 
followed  in  due  time  by  another  visita- 
tion of  Divine  wrath  in  the  form  of  war, 
or  pestilence,  or  famine,  or  some  other 
form  of  punishment.  This  is  inevitable, 
for  it  is  the  mere  statement  of  a law  that 
has  never  failed.  Can  you  recall  any  na- 
tion of  prominence  whose  fall  was  not 
preceded  by  moral  degeneration?  Is  it 
not  passing  strange  that  the  nations  can- 
not learn  the  simple  lesson  written  in  let- 
ters of  fire  through  all  the  ages?  And 
yet  it  is  no  more  strange  than  our  fail- 
ure to  grasp  the  same  truth  taught  so 
plainly  in  our  individual  lives.  The  old, 
old  truth  of  folly,  selfishness  and  sin,  en- 


4-4  The  Sic/ns  of  Promise 

tailing  inevitable  retribution ; the  broken 
law  and  the  consequent  punishment. 

It  is  with  a sigh  of  relief  that  we  turn 
the  page  so  dark  and  sad  with  its  grim 
record  and  for  a moment  consider  the 
brighter  side.  If  selfishness  and  sin  in- 
volve punishment,  it  is  no  less  true  that 
punishment  contains  the  promise  of 
knowledge,  and  knowledge  is  the  open- 
ing door  to  wisdom.  If  “the  fool  hath 
said  in  his  heart,  there  is  no  God,”  it  is 
just  as  true  that  “the  fear  of  God  is  the 
beginning  of  wisdom.”  Not  fear  in  the 
ordinary  meaning  of  the  word  fright,  but 
rather  reverence,  respect  to,  appreciation 
of. 

It  is  an  undeniable  fact  that  today 
many  are  asking  for  the  deeper  meaning 
of  this  unparalleled  season  of  punishment 
and  suffering ; and  it  is  also  equally  true 
that  many  are  indicating  by  what  they 
wTrite  in  the  press  that  this  deeper  mean- 
ing is  being  gradually  comprehended.  It 
is  also  true  that  some  at  least  of  the  na- 
tions at  war  are  showing  signs  of  return- 
ing sanity.  Russia  advocating  temper- 
ance, France  turning  from  frivolity  to 
prayer,  England  endeavoring  at  least  to 
point  the  way  to  sobriety ; these  are  hope- 
ful signs.  Even  the  rulers  of  these  na- 
tions mav  see  in  such  movements  noth- 
ing but  the  struggles  of  those  nations  to 


The  Signs  of  Promise 


45 


meet  the  exigencies  of  war,  and  yet  will 
one  be  accused  of  too  fanciful  an  imag- 
ination if  he  infers  that  the  Ruler  of  all 
nations  is  again  doing  what  He  has  so 
often  done  in  the  past,  bringing  home  to 
the  consciousness  of  men  that  this  world 
is  His  creation  and  that  it  shall  be  gov- 
erned by  His  law.  This  war  may  end 
with  but  the  beginning  of  the  lesson 
learned,  or  with  its  ending  may  come  the 
clearest  revelation  the  world  has  seen  of 
the  truth  just  stated;  therefore  all  pre- 
dictions as  to  its  duration  may  be  taken 
at  their  face  value.  The  one  fact  to  be 
held  clearly  in  mind  is  that  now,  as  ever 
in  the  past,  even  “the  wrath  of  man  shall 
praise  Him ; the  remainder  of  wrath  shall 
He  restrain.”  In  other  words,  all  along 
through  the  history  of  the  ages  His  plans 
have  been  unfolding  and  His  will  has 
been  accomplished.  It  takes  no  supreme 
effort  of  faith  to  accept  the  fact  that  if 
He  undertook  the  regeneration  of  the 
world  as  Calvary  is  witness  to,  He  will 
I complete  the  gracious  design.  The  ex- 
pulsion from  Eden  is  not  so  momentous 
a fact  as  the  sacrifice  on  Golgotha.  The 
despair  of  mankind  may  well  give  way 
and  change  to  assured  hope  if  we  will  but 
listen  to  the  angels’  song  at  Bethlehem. 


A PRAYER  FOR  THE  NATIONS 


A LMIGHTY  GOD,  Maker  of  Heaven 
^ and  Earth,  Ruler  of  the  Universe, 
Alpha  and  Omega,  the  Beginning  and 
End  of  All,  we  humbly  come  before  thine 
August  Presence,  we  bow  in  the  dust  at 
Thy  feet,  we  confess  our  great  and  many 
sins,  we  beseech  for  Thy  mercy  and  Thy 
pardon.  Teach  us,  Great  God,  the  mean- 
ing of  the  tumult  of  the  nations.  Why 
are  the  lightnings  of  Thy  wrath  poured 
out?  Why  doth  Thy  fierce  anger  burn, 
why  are  the  people  consumed,  why  the 
agony,  the  bloodshed,  the  misery,  the  hor- 
rible whirlwind  of  passion,  revenge,  hat- 
red, raging  in  the  souls  of  men? 

Great  God,  speak  clearly,  we  beseech 
Thee,  let  Thy  people  know  the  meaning 
of  this  Thy  day  of  vengeance.  Surely 
Thou  hast  been  merciful  in  the  past, 
surely  Thou  hast  led  Thy  children  in  a 
plain  path  by  the  hands  of  Thy  servants, 
surely  the  teaching  of  Thy  Holy  Son  is 
plain.  Through  Him  Thou  hast  taught 
us  to  love  Thee  with  our  heart,  our  soul 
and  our  strength,  because  Thou  hast  first 


46 


A Prayer  for  the  Nations  47 

loved  us  and  hast  sent  Him  as  the  token 
of  Thy  love.  Through  Him  Thou  hast 
taught  us  to  love  our  brother  as  our- 
selves. 

Great  God,  how  have  we  learned  the 
lesson ! With  deep  humility  we  confess 
our  sin.  In  place  of  love  we  hate.  We 
have  broken  Thy  law ; we  have  followed 
our  own  will,  not  Thine ; we  have  forgot- 
ten our  brother’s  needs ; we  have  let  sin 
triumph  over  us  and  reign  within  our 
souls;  we  have  defiled  Thy  temple;  we 
have  desecrated  Thy  holy  place ; we  have 
altogether  turned  aside  from  Thee ; we 
have  proved  ourselves  unworthy  of  Thy 
love.  And  now,  too  late,  in  this  the  day 
of  Thine  anger  we  remember,  alas ! that 
Thou  art  the  same  unchangeable,  un- 
changing God,  Thou  art  Jehovah  of 
Hosts,  as  well  as  Heavenly  Father,  Thou 
dost  hate  sin,  Thou  dost  punish  terribly 
those  who  will  not  repent,  Thou  dost  an- 
nihilate those  who  will  not  heed  Thy 
warnings. 

And  now,  Great  God,  we  beseech  Thee 
that  by  the  power  of  Thy  grace,  by  the 
love  of  Thy  Son,  open  the  eyes  of  the 
people.  Let  them  see  Thee  in  Thine  an- 
ger, let  them  hear  the  thunder  of  Thy 
Voice,  let  them  feel  the  lightning  of  Thy 
wrath  until  all  men  shall  say,  verily, 
there  is  a God  in  heaven ; verily,  His  Will 


48  A Prayer  for  ilie  Nations 

shall  be  done  on  earth;  verily,  there  is 
no  hope  for  mankind  except  in  obedience 
to  Thee.  We  beseech  of  Thee,  Great 
God,  not  to  stem  the  torrent  of  Thine 
anger,  but  that  quickly  the  world  may 
learn  the  awful  lesson  of  its  folly  and 
may  turn  to  the  living  God;  whom  to 
know  is  light  and  joy  and  peace,  now  and 
evermore. — Amen  and  Amen. 


POSTSCRIPT 


The  story  of  Eden  describes  today.  One 
apple  preferred  to  the  favor  of  the  Almighty 
Father,  things  ranked  above  the  Author  of  all 
things;  wrong  relations  between  men  designed 
to  live  like  brothers,  competitor  Cain  killing 
envied  Abel;  wrong  relations  to  God,  dull  wits 
trying  to  hide  from  the  Lord  of  the  Garden 
behind  the  flowerings  of  the  Garden  of  the 
Lord — it  is  all  1914  A.D.,  not  4,004  B.C.  or 
40,004  B.C.  Sin,  the  missing  of  the  mark  of 
living,  is,  as  Mr.  Johnson  so  well  puts  it,  the 
root  cause  of  the  war. 

All  things  are  yet  to  be  sacramental  sym- 
bols. The  conservation  of  bread-stuffs  is  a 
call  to  reverence  for  the  Divine  life  and  love 
resident  and  reproductive  in  every  “corn  of 
wheat.” 

“Christ  made  no  mistakes  when  He  stated 
God’s  laws  for  man.”  “The  Ruler  of  the  Uni- 
verse is  a God  that  punishes  as  well  as  a 
Father  that  loves  and  saves.” 

The  development  of  these  two  great  truths 
by  a Christian  layman  in  these  pages  give 
them  a compelling  interest  for  pulpit  and  pew. 

WALTER  LAIDLAW. 


September  14,  1917. 


